


Time Makes You Bolder (Children Get Older)

by paperairplanesopenwindows



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Endgame, Alternate Universe, But still planning on keeping it mostly Endgame compliant, Children training to be superheroes, Dealing with your aunt become your legal guardian, Dealing with your parents getting snapped with half of Earth's population, Gen, Grief, Mourning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:00:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22532128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperairplanesopenwindows/pseuds/paperairplanesopenwindows
Summary: Clint and Laura Barton disappear during the blip.But their children don't.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton
Comments: 41
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a tumblr post about how we should've gotten Natasha Romanoff adopting 35 children in Endgame (which yes, we should have), which spawned this idea of her adopting Clint and Laura's kids if they got snapped, but the kids didn't. 
> 
> While I haven't 100% decided where this fic idea is going, I think the plan is that I will be keeping it fairly Endgame compliant re: the deaths and Steve's ending. If that means you don't read, I 100% understand and that's why this note is at the beginning of this fic. 
> 
> Special thanks to SmallBlueandLoud, who I shared this idea with and ran with their own version of. Hopefully you like mine and I get to see more of yours soon!
> 
> Title is from the song Landslide because IT'S ABOUT NATASHA DURING ENDGAME OK????

**2023**

It just felt like Clint had blinked. 

He blinks and then he blinks again. There’s Laura, looking around in confusion, but no picnic. No Cooper and Nate, throwing a baseball. No Lila, collecting her arrow. 

His heart seizes. Where are his  _ kids _ ? 

He’s running for the house, even as Laura starts yelling the kids names. “Lila! Nate! Cooper!” Her voice getting increasingly frantic as she calls. 

The door of the house is locked. Clint pulls on it frantically several times, before peering in the window. The house is empty, cleared out. There’s no pictures on the walls, no furniture. No junk littering the porch, now that he looks at it. 

He runs back to Laura, panting and out of breath. She’s frantically dialling on her phone, pulling up Cooper’s number. Clint watches, heart in his throat. If someone had taken the kids, they would have pulled that phone off of him in a second. There’s no way…

The line connects. The call picks up. 

“Cooper?” Laura says. Her voice is no less frantic. 

There’s a sharp inhale then. “Mom? Mom. Hi.” It’s Cooper’s voice, but it’s deeper sounding, older. 

Laura and Cint’s eyes connect in confusion, but then, over the phone, there’s a loud explosion and the line goes dead. 

**2018**

When Natasha returns from space, from Thanos, from there being no stones and no way to fix what happened, she has six missed calls. 

They’re all from PRIVATE NUMBER-MISSOURI and she stares at it uncomprehendingly for a long moment. 

As if knowing that she is looking, the phone rings again and she picks it up numbly. 

“Hello?”

The child on the other end bursts into sobs. It takes her a moment to realize that it’s Cooper and she immediately jumps into Aunt mode. “Cooper, Cooper, take a deep breath for me, ok. Take a deep breath.” 

He does, but it only seems to be to tell someone “It’s Aunt Nat, she’s ok,” and then Natasha hears the phone switched to speaker and even more crying. She’s feeling weepy herself, but she pushes on. 

“Cooper, who’s there? Is your Mom there?”

“No,” he chokes out, “No it’s just me and Lila and Nate.” 

“Fuck,” she breathes out and even sobbing that gets a shocked giggle out of Lila and Nate. “Kids, are you in a safe place?” 

“Yeah, we’re at the house.” Cooper’s breathing is evening out, sounding calmer. “I tried the TV to see what was happening, but none of the channels are working.”

Natasha’s brain is whirling a mile a minute. There’s so much that needs to be happening right now, tallying who is left, finding out what happened. But her niece and nephews need her and that takes priority right now. 

Steve gently touches her shoulder and she turns to him. “What’s going on?” he asks. 

“It’s Clint’s kids.”

Horror dawns in his eyes. “Oh God,” he says, “Are they-”

“Alone. I need to get them. I’m-I need the jet.” 

He nods. “Take it and go. I can hold the fort down for a bit.” 

She turns back to the phone. “Cooper,” she says firmly, “Listen to me. I’ll be there in a couple of hours. Pack some things for you and your siblings ok? For at least a week.”

“Ok,” he says. 

“Hang tight, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” he says again. 

She clutches at the phone. “I love you all very much.” 

There’s a chorus of “I love you too” back at her and she hangs up the phone, her stomach in knots. 

The flight to Missouri seems to be both to short and not nearly short enough. She arrives to a setting sun and three children with packed bags sitting on the porch waiting for her. They run to her as she exits the jet. Cooper gets to her first and hugs her so hard her ribs ache, then Lila’s crash into them nearly knocks her over. Nate clutches at her legs, pressing his little wet face into her thigh. 

They stand there for a long time, the three of them, clutching each other. Natasha smooths Cooper and Lila’s hair out of their faces and presses kisses to each of their foreheads. 

“I’m not going to ask if you’re ok,” she says, “because none of us are. But is there anything we need right now before we go?” 

The three of them shook their heads. 

“Ok. Let’s get your things and go.”

The four of them troop into the jet and she makes sure they are all strapped in before take off. This flight seems longer than the first and she keeps on waiting for one of the children to burst into the incessant chatter she’s so familiar with, but none of them do. Every time she looks back at them they’re either staring down at their feet or sleeping and she doesn’t have the heart or energy to rouse them.

Pepper is sitting in the dining room, looking exhausted when they enter. She looks up when Natasha enters and clearly tries to smile and fails. Her eyes do grow curious as she takes in the kids. “Hi Natasha. I was wondering where you went. Who’s this?”

“Clint’s kids,” Natasha says, hoping that Tony has mentioned them at least once. Pepper nods in recognition, so clearly he has, though her eyes get no less curious. “Guys, this is Ms. Potts.”

“I know who she is,” Lila says, “She’s on the magazines in the grocery store.” 

“Lila,” Cooper hisses. 

Pepper gave a little laugh. “That’s me,” she said, “Always on the tabloid covers.” She stands and it’s then that Natasha can see her hands are shaking. “Do you kids need anything? I was thinking about figuring out dinner or something.”

“I was going to throw something together once I have the kids rooms figured out.”

Pepper shook her head. “Let me figure it out. You have enough on your plate.”

“We can just...put our stuff in the living room for now,” Cooper says and before Natasha can stop him he’s ushered his siblings into the adjoining room to put their things in a pile behind one of the couches. Natasha and Pepper watch them go, Pepper’s hand lifting to cover her mouth. 

“God,” Pepper says faintly, “I didn’t even think...there’s going to be so many kids without parents.” 

The two of them stand silently for a moment staring into space. Natasha rubs a hand over her face. “Someone needs to...someone’s going to have to set up orphanages or something. Some sort of homes or programs. I have no idea who or what will fund this, but someone will have to.” 

“Well,” Pepper said, putting a firm hand on Natasha’s shoulder, “I don’t know if you know this. But I happen to have a lot of money.” 

Natasha laughs so hard that tears came to her eyes. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! If you're new here, welcome and mind the warnings, especially that one for Major Character Death.
> 
> I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I wrote Something and that's what counts!

**2023**

It takes a surprisingly long amount of time to figure out what’s going on. 

Laura calls just about every person she can think of, finding mostly people just as confused as her and Clint. Finally, she finds a former coworker who tells her in a very tired voice, “Laura, it’s 2023. You disappeared five years ago.” 

At this, Laura just stammers. 

The cell service has never been great this far out from civilization, but Clint manages to get on the internet to pull up the news. It’s mostly stories of the population returning, but there’s reports rolling in of a fight at the Avengers campus. There’s no pictures or footage yet, everyone too busy scrambling with the reappearances to head in that direction. 

Hours pass. Clint hikes the two miles into town and back to come back with what supplies he can find and then he and Laura settle down to wait. 

It’s night by the time the phone rings again and Laura picks it up hurriedly. 

“Cooper?”

“Hi Mom, hi Dad.” He sounds exhausted, his voice deep over the phone. “Are you guys still at the house?” 

Laura clutches the phone tight in her hand. “We are, sweetie. Are you ok? Are your siblings ok?”

“We’re fine. It’s just…” His voice catches and he takes a long breath. “It’s been a long day. It’s been a really long day. I have so much to tell you.” He gives a shaky exhale. “We’ll talk when I see you in person. I’ll try to fly down soon, I know there’s nothing in the house.” 

“You don’t have to rush-” Clint starts to say, but Cooper cuts him off. 

“No, there is a rush. I need you here.” They hear the phone being picked up and put down and Cooper whispering to someone in the background. “We’ll be there tomorrow morning, turns out there’s a functional jet I can take.” 

“Ok Cooper,” Laura says, “We love you.”

“Love you too,” Cooper says, clearly distracted. The line disconnects. Clint and Laura stare at each other over the phone. 

Finally, Clint breaks the silence. “Would you rather camp out in the house or walk into town to see if there’s a motel open?” 

“House,” Laura says, “If you think you can rig the door shut again.”

“I think I should be able to figure out something.” He stands and stretches. “Let’s see what surprises the barn might still be holding.”

  
  


**2018**

Natasha has never considered herself loveable. 

But Laura and Clint had loved her enough to give her a dozen nicknames and a room in their house. To name a child after her. To give her guardianship in her wills and explicitly state that if something happened to both of them, that the kids go to her. 

She’s lucky to have that and access what’s left of the Stark lawyers. The courts are still reeling and trying to figure out how to operate at half their staff, but she shoulders her way through and emerges with full custody of the three Barton children. 

Lila and Nate still crawl into bed with her most nights, but she gets all three of them set up in their own rooms and then begins to juggle the impossible task of rebuilding while also raising three kids. 

“You can take a break if you need to, you know,” Pepper says during one of their phone calls. 

Natasha snorts. “I could say the same for you.” They’ve been talking weekly, making plans using the Stark resources to set up what amenities they can for a world still reeling. “Speaking of a break, how’s Tony?” 

She doesn’t need to see Pepper to know she’s smiling. “Better. Eating more now. Still sleeping a lot.” She pauses. “He seems very….done with everything. I’m not sure if he’ll even continue working with Stark when all is said and done.”

“I’d be surprised if Tony can stay out of his own lab once you’re back in the tower.” 

“Well,” Pepper says, drawing out the word, “We’re actually talking about moving into our lake house full time.” 

“Really?” Natasha says, surprised, “That’d be a big move for you.” 

“Yes, well,” Pepper says again, a nervous tone creeping into her voice, “We want to get out of the city, there’s so much devastation and unhappy memories and-” 

“And you’re pregnant and you don’t want anyone finding out yet,” Natasha says, cutting her off. 

There is a long pause. “How’d you figure that out?” 

Natasha shrugs, knowing full well Pepper couldn’t see her. “Tony said something once about buying that lakehouse because he thought it’d be good to take kids to.” He’d been wanting a team gathering after Ultron and had asked her opinion on if Laura and the kids would want to come. “I think that’d be a good move for you guys, you both deserve some peace and quiet.” 

“Thank you,” Pepper says. “And please don’t tell anyone.”

“You have my word,” Natasha promised. There’s a movement out of the corner of her eye and she turns to see Lila, twisting her hands nervously. “Hang on Pepper, it’s Lila. Hey sweetie.” 

“Sorry,” Lila says, “Can I go shoot in the archery range?” 

“Is your homework done?” 

“Yeah.” Lila grimaces. Natasha feels a wave of guilt. Being as busy as she is, she can’t keep up Laura’s homeschooling and the kids have been enrolled in school. A very fancy, secure, private school that prides itself on both challenging kids and inspiring their creativity, but was still nothing on Laura’s carefully planned and customised curriculum for each child. 

“Ok, if your homework’s done, then yes.” Lila gives a little joyful fistpump and Natasha can’t help, but grin. “Sorry Pepper, mind if I cut this call short?”

“Not at all,” Pepper says. “We’ll talk soon.” 

“Let me know as soon as you get an update on the orphanage plans,” Natasha says and they give their good-byes before hanging up

“Sorry to interrupt,” Lila says. 

“It’s ok, Pepper and I can always talk tomorrow. I don’t want you shooting your eye out,” Natasha says, standing up and heading over to her. 

“How could I shoot my eye out with a bow and arrow?” Lila asks. 

“I’m sure there’s a way,” Natasha says, “And I’m sure your Dad came close to it on more than one occasion.” It hurts to talk or think about Clint and Laura still, but she tries to keep mentioning them lightly, to keep the kids memories fresh. 

Lila’s lip trembles a little at the mention of her Dad, but she rallies. “Yeah, he taught me good. He said that I was gonna be better than him one day.”

“I know,” Natasha says, smoothing Lila’s hair out of her face, “He was always telling me about his little sharp shooter.” She stepped back. “Let me grab Nate. Don’t forget to tie your hair back, we don’t want it getting caught.”

She walks into the other room and goes to Nate, who’s playing with his blocks. “Come here, little man,” she tells him and he lets her lift him up onto her hip. “We’re going to watch your sister shoot. Wanna come Cooper?” she asks her other nephew, whose head is bent over a pad of paper. 

“No thanks,” he says, not even looking up. “I’m busy.” 

“Ok,” Nat says, “We’ll have dinner at seven. Be ready to wrap up then.” 

“I will,” he says, eyes not leaving whatever he’s scribbling on the page. 

“Alright,” Nat says, before turning back to Lila. “Ok, Lie. Let’s see what you’ve got.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back! My new quarantine project has been sewing and I learned how to sew a skirt! But that means I haven't been writing at all lol. I hope y'all are staying safe and happy. 
> 
> Enjoy the angst!

**2023**

A text comes in from Cooper to expect him in an hour and Clint and Laura make their way onto the porch to wait. 

Sleep had not been easy for either of them and not just due to them lacking a proper bed. Anxiety had kept them up and sleeping restlessly. Clint and Laura were meeting the morning with yawns and bags under their eyes. 

The jet arrives when expected and parks in the field. It was a new design, smaller and more compact than what Clint had flown before. A ramp descends and someone emerges as Clint and Laura rise and begin to approach. 

Logically, Clint knows that five years have passed. That his kids are now older, Cooper twenty, Lila sixteen, and Nate almost eight. But he’s still not prepared for the tall, lanky, young man that stares at them from the shadow of the jet. 

There’s a moment of hesitation before he reaches out to them and then he hugs them both, hard. “It’s good to see you,” he says, his voice gruff and he’s clearly holding back tears. He’s taller than Clint now, which is completely disconcerting. 

“Hey Coop,” Clint says, when his son finally lets them go. There’s another silence as Cooper just takes them in and Clint tries to break it with a joke. “When you said you’d fly down, I didn’t realize you’d be the one flying.”

“Oh, yeah.” Cooper runs his hand over his head sheepishly. “I’m, uh, kinda an Avenger?”

“Really?” Clint says, shocked. Cooper had never expressed interest in SHIELD or the Avengers. Last Clint had heard, Cooper was talking about becoming a veterinarian. 

“Well, it was mostly to help M--Aunt Nat.” Cooper bites his lip. “But also, legacy, you know?” 

“I never wanted you to become a superhero, Cooper,” Clint says. 

Cooper laughs, but it’s bitter. “Believe me, I know. Aunt Nat made that  _ very _ clear when I first brought it up with her. Said it was the last thing you would have wanted.” He jerks his head towards the jet. “Come on, let’s get you to Nate and Lila. They’re looking forward to seeing you.” 

“Are they with Natasha?” Laura asks, as they head into the jet. 

“Oh, God.” Cooper freezes a moment, then clears his throat. “No. No, they’re at the Stark’s place. With Pepper.”

“Cooper,” Laura says, “did something happen to Nat? Did she get injured in the battle?” 

Cooper is silent and Clint realizes it’s because his son is crying. “I’m going to need you to both sit down,” Cooper finally pushes out through the tears and Laura and Clint sit heavily on the nearest seats like their legs have been cut from under them. 

  
  


**2018**

Natasha likes doing the dishes. It’s soothing and gives her a moment to pause and think. They’re going into the weekend and for once she’s not busy, so she’s looking forward to a quiet couple of days with the kids. Friday night means a movie and popcorn before she makes them deep clean their rooms Saturday morning.

“Hey,” Cooper says, from behind her. “We picked a movie.” 

“Really?” Natasha said, “That quickly?” 

“We let Nate pick.” 

“Well, that explains it.” 

“Yeah.” Cooper is fidgeting, his whole body vibrating, so Natasha puts down the dish she’s rinsing and turns to him. 

“What’s up, bud?” 

“How old was Spider-Man?” 

“Spider-Man?” Natasha asks, not sure if she heard him right. 

“Yeah, Peter? That was his name, right?” 

“Yes,” Natasha says. “He was, fifteen? Sixteen? I think?” She rolls her eyes mentally at Tony’s decision to drag a teenager into the fucked up conflict that was the Sokovia Accords. “He wasn’t much older than you, I know that.”

“Right,” Cooper says. “So, he was my age. Maybe a year older.” 

“I think so.”

“Okay,” Cooper says, visibly anxious, but clearly trying to gain courage. “So, if he was my age and he was able to fight with you guys...when can I start training to be a superhero?” 

Natasha is very glad that she put the plate down because otherwise she would have broken it. 

“No. Absolutely not.” 

This clearly comes as a blow to Cooper, but he takes a deep breath and pushes forward. “What about when I’m eighteen and I graduate? I know you need help, Aunt Nat. I hear you on the phone with Pepper and Steve all the time.” 

“No. No.” Natasha shakes her head. “No, Cooper. That’s my final answer.” 

“Why not?” His face is changing, going from anxious to angry. “You let Peter be a superhero and he was barely older than me?” 

“I didn’t let him. I--” Natasha let out an irritated breath. “Tony brought him in and I had no say in that. I thought that was a stupid idea then too.” 

“Ok,” Cooper says, “then why not when I’m eighteen? I’ll be an adult, I can join the military then.” 

“You are not joining the military either, Cooper!” 

“I don’t want to do  _ that _ . I want to be an Avenger. Or at least join SHIELD. Come on Aunt Nat, you’ve been saying you need more people.” 

“My answer is no and that’s final.” 

“But why?” he whines, sounding the most childish she’s heard him sound in months. 

“Because it’s the last thing your parents would have wanted for you!” Natasha finds herself yelling and that draws the attention of Lila and Nate, who peek over the couch and look into the kitchen. 

“Cooper--” Lila says, warningly. Nate starts crying from the tension and Lila pulls him into her lap, cradling her head against his chest. 

“No,” Cooper says, whirling towards her. “No. Tell her what Dad called you, Lie!” 

Lila shrinks back. “Can’t we just watch the movie?” she asks. 

“Tell her, Lila!” 

Lila’s eyes go so bright with tears, Natasha can see them from across the room. 

“Lila?” she says, her tone softening. 

Lila sobs. “He--he called me Hawkeye.” 

Natasha’s heart clenches in her chest. 

Cooper whirls back to her. “He was training Lila! He’d take her out to shoot every day, he called her Hawkeye. He said all the time that she’d take over for him when he finally retired--”

“He was joking, Cooper,” Natasha says firmly, just as much trying to convince herself as she’s trying to convince the children. She’d never heard Clint call Lila Hawkeye, but she remembers a text message from him after Lila made her first bullseye:  _ If Nick ever reconsiders that “Young Avengers” idea, I’ve got a sharpshooter in training for him.  _

Cooper clenches his fists and stares her down. “Fine. I can wait until I’m eighteen. I’m sure Steve or Mr. Stark would be happy to train me. Maybe I’ll even get a suit built.” He spins around and tears out of the room even as Natasha calls after him. Seconds later his door slams. 

Natasha rubs her hand over her face and turns to Lila, who’s given up on soothing a now sobbing Nate and rubbing her own tears out of her eyes. 

“Lie--” Natasha says tiredly. 

“No Auntie Nat!” Lila bites out and then she too runs off, her own door slamming down the hall. 

Natasha picks Nate up to rock him, pressing her hands against his heaving back. There’s still messy dishes in the kitchen, but she can’t muster up the energy to care about them now. She stares blankly ahead until Nate stops crying and falls asleep against her shoulder. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to come yell at me, my tumblr is [paperairplanesopenwindows](https://paperairplanesopenwindows.tumblr.com/)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [the landslide will bring it down](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23472094) by [smallblueandloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallblueandloud/pseuds/smallblueandloud)




End file.
